As the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate work on school accountability bills, it’s helpful to remember that as much as school rating systems try, it’s impossible to take all variables into account.

That’s why some of the initial looks at these proposals are cause for concern when they talk about closing so-called “failing” schools.

A two-day investigative report by Press-Gazette Media reporters Adam Rodewald and Patti Zarling touched on some of those variables that impact a school’s report card, namely socioeconomic reasons.

Our investigation found that if you’re poor or a minority, you are more likely to attend a “failing” school than your richer, whiter classmates.

Therefore, the question how to improve a school’s report card is most likely answered by taking into account poverty and language.

The poverty rate averages 87 percent in the 10 schools with the lowest report card scores in Brown County, all of them in Green Bay.

About half of the students in those 10 schools speak limited English.

The problem is not limited to Green Bay. Statewide, the average poverty rate is 89 percent at schools receiving a “fails to meet expectations” report card.

Schools are trying different approaches in meeting the needs of these students, some of whom may be learning a new language, may have an unstable home life, may not get fed at home, may be homeless.

As we reported Monday, teachers at Nicolet Elementary School sometimes eat lunch with students in order to build a connection or hold community circles so students can discuss issues they face at school and at home.

Nicolet has an after-school program and works with families on ensuring the learning environment is continued at home.

A grade on a standardized test doesn’t begin to tell the whole story of how a student is doing in school and the extent to which educators are going to help all students.

School accountability puts a lot of stock into standardized test scores, but as we found, it’s only part of the story. Any school accountability measure needs to take into account the effects of poverty and learning a second language.

Public schools, unlike private, are required to educate all children who come to them. Figuring out how to reach these students is a challenge that’s not accounted for in test scores. But if you’re on the ground, like our reporter was at Nicolet Elementary, you’ll witness a scene that belies the school’s rating.